The Cap Bear
by snarkysweetness
Summary: "I spent my whole life looking for you and the one happy thing from my childhood came from you; even before you knew I was still alive you were there for me, mom."


**Title: **The Cap Bear  
**Author:** snarkysweetness  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Characters:** Skye, May, baby girl Skyeward, Matt Murdock, &amp; Ward; Skyeward &amp; Philinda  
**Summary:** "I spent my whole life looking for you and the one happy thing from my childhood came from you; even before you knew I was still alive you were there for me, mom."  
**Warnings:** This is just dumb, pointless fluff that will make you cry.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.  
**Author's Notes: **Happy birthday, Lillian! Enjoy the MaySkye and QuakeDevil feels.

"Mom," Skye groaned in disgust upon walking into her parents' bedroom. She had a lot of assumptions about her parents' sex life but she really didn't need to have any of them confirmed; hadn't walking in on them once been enough scarring for one lifetime?

Melinda turned away from the mirror, glanced down at the Captain America underwear Skye was staring at in mock horror and rolled her eyes. "They're underwear, Skye."

"Underwear you totally wear to get dad all…." Skye motioned towards her mom's still totally hot bod with a frown. "You know what!"

Melinda pulled on a pair of pants, shaking her head. "They're comfortable and yes, maybe your dad does enjoy them, but it's not why I own them."

Skye watched her mom finish dressing with her nose scrunched up. "Please tell me it's not some weird roleplaying fantasy," she muttered and her mother shot a glare her way. "What? Are you saying he's never asked?"

She really did deserve the look on her mother's face that confirmed her suspicions; she _had_ asked.

"Gross."

"Can I help you?"

Skye ducked her head into the closet, then the bathroom before moving to her knees to check under the bed. "Yes, we have an agent M.I.A.," she muttered, knowing Alice's favorite hiding spot was anywhere Melinda was. Skye was surprised she hadn't glued herself to her side yet.

"She's not here; last time I saw her she was riding your husband's back yelling 'faster horsey'."

Skye stood and smirked in surprise. Who would have thought someday Melinda May would find amusement in Grant Ward fathering her grandchild?

"Well, then I suspect we'll see her return from a mission with daddy covered in chocolate ice cream soon." Grant did not know how to say 'no' to that child. It was one of the reasons she loved him so much; he was the father their child deserved.

Melinda smiled sadly with a shake of her head.

"What is it, mom?" Skye knew that look and her heart began to ache in her chest.

"It's just…that's how your father would have been with you. If we'd gotten to…" Melinda cleared her throat and Skye could see her fighting back tears. "Well, I'm glad I was wrong about Ward."

Skye reached out and gave her mom a bone-crushing hug, about to cry herself. She wished her mom would forgive herself; it wasn't her fault they'd been separated. Skye knew how much she loved her and if things had been different she would have been the best mother to her growing up; she was now.

"Mom, we have each other now, we found each other, I wish things had gone the way they were supposed to but it all worked out in the end."

Melinda cradled Skye's head against her chest and pressed a kiss to her temple. "How are you so amazing?" She whispered, holding Skye tightly.

Skye smirked and rested her chin on her mom's shoulder. "Must be genetics," she teased, glancing behind her to the nightstand. Skye froze when she saw what sat there. "What's that?"

Melinda released Skye and glanced back with a shrug. "That thing? I found it when I was going through some of my old things. You know how your dad is; everyone's gifts are always Cap themed. It used to drive me crazy and after we lost you…well, instead of getting me frivolous things I had no use for he used to get me one of those for every birthday and holiday, until I had so many I decided to donate them."

Her mom now held the aging bear in her hands and Skye stepped forward slowly, her eyes filling with tears as she reached out with a shaking hand to take it. "To orphanages? Like St. Agnes?" She whispered, fingers gently gliding through the soft fabric of its fur.

"I don't remember; it was one of those donation bins," Melinda confessed, staring at Skye's face, trying to decipher this breakdown.

A small sob escaped Skye's chest and she pressed her nose into the bear and fought off the urge to cry. She held him to her chest and blinked through tears to look at her mom. "I was five and it was Christmas and I used to love Cap because he was an orphan like me and I had just been sent back from another foster home and I was miserable and…" she shook her head at the memory, knowing her mother didn't need to be reminded of her daughter's terrible childhood, not when it wasn't her fault they'd been separated for so long. "I was always smaller than the other kids and I stood up to them but I never bothered when the fight for toys came because I always lost and it was Matt's first Christmas at the orphanage and I don't know how he got it but when I woke up Christmas morning there was a bear just like this sitting on my nightstand." Skye sniffled, trying to find her voice. "I kept that bear through every foster home and every lonely birthday and Christmas after he left and then when I decided to run away…I gave him to one of the little ones; I wanted to make sure he kept someone else company." She wished she'd kept him, even if he had brought joy to someone else's life because… "I spent my whole life looking for you and the one happy thing from my childhood came from you; even before you knew I was still alive you were there for me, mom."

She'd had one thing from her mom all along and now it was gone. Aside from the small box of things her mother hadn't been able to part with after losing Skye that had been meant to be hers she had nothing to pass down to Alice. Nothing from her childhood that her baby girl could hold onto.

Skye would never forgive Cal for kidnapping her; he'd deprived her of the life she should have had. She should have been raised with Melinda and Phil and grown up loved and with so much Captain America crap she got sick of it.

Instead she was sobbing over a teddy bear.

Her baby was never going to know this pain because Skye was never going to let it happen.

Her mom reached out to touch her cheek, tears in her eyes. "Baby…"

"Mommy," Skye wept, clutching the bear tighter.

Melinda pulled Skye into another hug, burying her face in Skye's hair. "I love you so much, baby girl. I've got you," she whispered, squeezing Skye tightly. "I'm never losing you again, I'm not going anywhere."

Burying her face against her mom's chest Skye cried harder. She was never going to get those twenty-five years back and no matter how strong she tried to be about it she wasn't okay with it. No amount of time could make up for the time she'd lost.

"I love you, mom."

"Shh, I know, baby."

Skye pulled away and wiped at her eyes, knowing she had to get it together. She didn't need Alice to run in and see her like this or even worse; her father. He carried enough guilt as it was.

"I was going to give that to Alice but you can keep him if you-"

Skye shook her head. "No, give him to her. She'll love it."

"Give me what, mommy?"

Skye turned to find Matt carrying Alice on his shoulders and Alice tugging him by the hair while he winced in pain. Poor Matt.

"Alice, what have I told you about abusing your poor Uncles?"

"Always kick Uncle Lance in the left shin because it's sensitive and it's not nice to pull on hair!" She said proudly before glancing down at her hands. "Oh…sorry, Uncle Matt."

"I've suffered worse," he replied with a smile and Skye retrieved her child before she could do any real damage.

Skye clutched Alice against her and kissed her temple while rocking her gently. "Look, princess, grandma has a present for you."

Alice squealed happily and plucked the bear from Skye's hands, hugging him to his chest happily. "I love him, grandma! It's Uncle Steve bear!"

Melinda laughed and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Yes, it is, sweetheart. And do you want to know something? Your mommy had one when she was a little girl."

"Really," Alice asked, eyes wide.

Skye smiled with a nod. "That's right."

"And she carried him everywhere," Matt said with a smile.

"How would you know," Skye teased, glancing his way, and he gave her a teasing shrug in response. She was glad she'd found him again. He'd made her time at St. Agnes' bearable and now…

"Alice, did your Uncle Matt come alone," Skye asked as her princess squirmed around, wanting down. She set her on her feet and Alice sat on the floor with bear happily.

"No, mommy. Uncle Steve is here and Auntie Nat and they're suited up," she announced matter-of-factly, putting emphasis on the 'suited up' part.

"Matty, you only visit when it's time to get to work," Skye teased, leaning down to kiss her daughter and then her mother before leading him out of the room.

"We're always working," he reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll meet you down there," she said, slowing down with a smirk in the direction of her husband.

"Don't make any more kids before we leave; the one you have is enough."

Skye rolled her eyes and shoved him towards the elevator. Matt chuckled and muttered something about her being a pain in the ass.

Idiot.

"Hi, handsome," Skye teased, wrapping her arms around Grant's waist and leaning up for a kiss.

"Gorgeous," he whispered, meeting her half-way.

Skye slipped her fingers into his hair and released him a minute later to find him staring down at her dreamily.

"I'll never get sick of that."

"You better not or I'll have to let Matt kick your ass."

"I think I could take him."

"I don't know…" Grant kissed her again and she grinned against his lips, swaying slightly in his arms. She pulled away again, knowing she had to get to work; if both teams were here it was something bad.

Grant reached up to run his thumb across her cheek. "You've been crying."

"It's nothing…hormones," she whispered, not wanting to get into this now. They could do it later; after she'd saved the world.

He reached down to touch her still flat stomach, worry on his face. "You need to tell them…"

"I will, after this mission-don't give me that look, I was out in the field a lot longer with Alice."

Grant cupped her cheek with a frown. "I know but I still don't like it."

"You don't have to like it, just keep our baby girl safe until I get home and I'll keep this one safe; I promise."

He nodded and Skye leaned up to kiss him good-bye. "I love you."

"I love you too; be careful."

"I always am."

Skye gave his hand a squeeze and moved towards the elevators. She could feel him watching her until Alice's screeches caught her attention.

"Daddy! Look! Grandma got me a present!"

"She did? Oh, my, he's a superhero."

"Like mommy!"

He chuckled. "Yes, like mommy."

Skye watched them as she stepped onto the lift with a smile. Maybe her own childhood had been lonely and terrible but her children were happy and loved and that was the only thing that mattered anymore; that and keeping them safe.

"What do you say, kiddo," Skye whispered, placing a hand on her tummy as the doors shut. "Want to take a wager that your grandpa's got another one of those bears hidden somewhere so you and your sister don't have to share?" The kid was nowhere near the kicking stages but Skye took the faint vibrations the life growing inside of her gave off as an answer. "That's what I thought, too."

The one thing Skye could count on in this life was that her dad would always keep her kids supplied with toys and now it seemed, her mother would too.

They really were made for each other.


End file.
